- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.35.1-3.35.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
In a fit of rage, Cambyses shoots and pierces the heart of Prexaspes' son to prove his own sanity. After forcing Prexaspes to praise his marksmanship, he goes on to bury twelve noble Persians alive headfirst without any just cause.
τούτων δὴ ὦν ἐπιμνησθέντα ὀργῇ λέγειν1 πρὸς τὸν Πρηξάσπεα σύ νυν μάθε εἰ λέγουσι Πέρσαι ἀληθέα εἴτε αὐτοὶ λέγοντες ταῦτα παραφρονέουσι·
Recalling these things, then, he said in anger to Prexaspes: “Now learn whether the Persians speak the truth, or whether they themselves are out of their minds in saying these things.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦ σοῦ τοῦδε ἑστεῶτος ἐν τοῖσι προθύροισι βαλὼν τύχοιμι μέσης τῆς καρδίης, Πέρσαι φανέονται λέγοντες οὐδέν· ἢν δὲ ἁμάρτω, φάναι2 Πέρσας τε λέγειν ἀληθέα καί με μὴ σωφρονέειν.
For if I shoot and hit the very middle of the heart of this your son who is standing in the vestibule, the Persians will be shown to be talking nonsense; but if I miss, then say that the Persians speak the truth and that I am not of sound mind.”
ταῦτα δὲ εἰπόντα καὶ διατείναντα τὸ τόξον βαλεῖν τὸν παῖδα, πεσόντος δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀνασχίζειν αὐτὸν κελεύειν καὶ σκέψασθαι τὸ βλῆμα· ὡς δὲ ἐν τῇ καρδίῃ εὑρεθῆναι ἐνεόντα τὸν ὀιστόν,3 εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τοῦ παιδὸς γελάσαντα καὶ περιχαρέα γενόμενον Πρήξασπες, ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ τε οὐ μαίνομαι Πέρσαι τε παραφρονέουσι, δῆλά τοι γέγονε. νῦν δέ μοι εἰπέ, τίνα εἶδες ἤδη πάντων ἀνθρώπων οὕτω ἐπίσκοπα τοξεύοντα; Πρηξάσπεα δὲ ὁρῶντα ἄνδρα οὐ φρενήρεα καὶ περὶ ἑωυτῷ δειμαίνοντα εἰπεῖν δέσποτα, οὐδʼ ἂν αὐτὸν ἔγωγε δοκέω τὸν θεὸν οὕτω ἂν καλῶς βαλεῖν.4
Having said this and having drawn his bow, he shot the boy, and when the boy fell, he ordered them to cut him open and examine the wound; and when the arrow was found to be in the heart, he said to the boy’s father with a laugh and in great joy: ”Prexaspes, that I am not mad and that it is the Persians who are out of their minds has indeed become clear to you. Now tell me, whom of all men have you ever seen shooting so accurately?” And Prexaspes, seeing that the man was not of sound mind and fearing for his own life, said: “O master, I think that not even the god himself could have shot so beautifully.”
τότε μὲν ταῦτα ἐξεργάσατο, ἑτέρωθι δὲ Περσέων ὁμοίους τοῖσι πρώτοισι δυώδεκα ἐπʼ οὐδεμιῇ αἰτίῃ ἀξιοχρέῳ ἑλὼν ζώοντας ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν κατώρυξε.
At that time indeed he committed these acts, and on another occasion he seized twelve Persians, equals to the first, for no worthy cause, and buried them alive head first in the ground.
- 3.35.1λέγειν
The infinitive λέγειν (and the subsequent βαλεῖν, κελεύειν, εἰπεῖν) is a historical infinitive or dependent on the implied verb of reporting (λέγεται) from §3.34.1, sustaining the indirect narrative structure (oratio obliqua).
- 3.35.2φάναι
This is an infinitive used as an imperative, representing Cambyses' command 'say / admit...' in direct speech.
- 3.35.3ὡς δὲ ἐν τῇ καρδίῃ εὑρεθῆναι ἐνεόντα τὸν ὀιστόν
In indirect narrative, the temporal clause introduced by ὡς ('when...') has its main verb as the infinitive εὑρεθῆναι. The participle ἐνεόντα functions as a supplementary participle with εὑρεθῆναι ('the arrow was found to be inside').
- 3.35.4οὐδʼ ἂν αὐτὸν ἔγωγε δοκέω τὸν θεὸν οὕτω ἂν καλῶς βαλεῖν
The infinitive phrase is dependent on the verb δοκέω. The particle ἂν is duplicated, appearing once near the beginning of the clause and once before the infinitive βαλεῖν, emphasizing the potential meaning ('would have shot').